Stuck in the Middle with Q
by Hestia01
Summary: The final note in the Q cycle brings Janeway and Q back to New Earth for a vacation. How will her past self react?


**Stuck in the Middle with Q**

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek, but I created this timeline for your reading pleasure. Share and enjoy!

Further disclaimer: Jenga is a fun family game to which I claim no ownership. I'm not even that good at it. There you have it.

_Author's Notes: this takes place along the same timeline set in The Q and I. I'm incurable, what can I say?_

2372, New Earth, Day 30

Its late afternoon when Kathryn Janeway and Chakotay are clearing debris from the recent plasma storm from their home. Unbeknownst to them, their progress is observed by two remote figures in the distance.

"Well, here we are! And what's more, _now_ we are!" Kathryn's future-edition doppelganger chirps happily. "Come on; let's set up camp...Q?"

Her companion turns and follows at her heels, "Kathy, don't be alarmed, but remember just before we left home you expressed a desire for this to be an authentic _human_ camping trip?"

She stops dead in her tracks, a sick feeling developing in the pit of her stomach, "Yes...Q, you don't mean--don't tell me that--that we're...?" To answer her half-formed question, he pinches her arm, she jumps with a yelp.

"Qs don't feel pain," he intones forebodingly, betraying his own dread.

"But humans do. Human...oh no, this can't be happening. Again, after all these years?" Kathryn turns to Q with a look that's bordering on panicky, "How are we going to get home?"

"Hang on, maybe Junior's still listening in." There's a long pause as they connect across space, matter, and time, "Ah, here he is, he'll straighten this out." Q zones in, communicating their urgency to his son. "Yes, two days should be fine...and then you'll give us back our powers? First thing in the morning? Perfect!" They disengage and Q turns to his mate with a smug grin, "There, you see? It's all taken care of. Let's get primitive!"

That night, the younger Kathryn is out for a walk when she sees the light from a small fire several kilometers away, on top of a hill on the outskirts of the woods. She peers up curiously, straining her eyes in attempt to discern the features of the two humanoids.

Kathryn #2 digs in her pack and empties it of their supplies. "At least one of us came prepared," she mutters to herself as she spears two hot dogs with a couple of long sticks. She hands one to Q, who eyes it suspiciously.

"What's this for?"

"You hold it in the fire for a while, then you eat it. Aren't you hungry?" She sits closer to him and thrusts hers in the flames.

Q appears to think about this at great length. "Yes, I suppose I am. So that's what this nasty feeling is. I had it once before, come to think of it." He follows her example, turning to her with a well-practiced look of grudging admiration, and cozily rubs shoulders with her. They both stare silently into the campfire for a time, then simultaneously look back at each other with a comfortable smile, knowing that if they must face temporary exile from the continuum, at least they're in it together.

Q is first to remove his hot dog from the fire, he nibbles the end experimentally, then takes off half in one bite, obviously pleasantly surprised. "Mm, what's in this, anyway?"

Kathryn pulls hers out and blows on it. "Trust me, you don't want to know." She takes a dainty bite and smirks at him. He shrugs apathetically and finishes his off.

"If you say so. But if it's that repulsive and you know, how can you stand to eat them?"

He asks quite logically before spearing another one.

"I don't think about it."

Hours later as their camp fire is dying down, Kathryn lay curled up contentedly next to Q and they both doze off.

Early the next morning, Kathryn #1 emerges from the shelter and makes her way to where she saw the fire the night before.

Her future counterpart had gotten an early start as well and was taking advantage of the early hour with a sunrise nature hike.

Finally, she nears the hilltop, where she discovers the smoldering remains of the previous night's campfire; behind it stands a tent. She glances down at her tricorder, which registers its sole occupant as human. Throwing caution (as well as common courtesy) to the wind, the younger Janeway flings open the tent flap.

Q is torn from his heavy sleep by the shrill whine of a phaser being readied.

"Don't move," she orders, staring in wide-eyed disbelief down her sidearm. She flashes the tricorder at him briefly, demanding, "Why does this say you're human?"

Q is not fooled for a second; he knows his wakeup call is not from his wife but from her past self. Sighing inwardly, he'd been afraid of this, he forces himself to sound casual. "Good morning to you, too, my little sunflower. Your device reads me as human because I most unfortunately am." He stands up and stretches, hoping she isn't going to vaporize him on the spot. Scoffing, Janeway lowers her weapon, "Again? Why didn't we see you or any sign of you until now?"

"Because we--I--just got here yesterday. I'm not being punished, I'm on...vacation."

"You said 'we'."

"My mate--wife, yes, that's the right word, is here as well. She must be out."

She considers his story, it could all be true and what business is it of hers? But it might be a ruse, a childish ploy to bedevil her even after she'd resigned her command. "I don't suppose you'd want to introduce us?"

"No, I'm afraid not." He sees her looking around outside the tent, hoping to catch a glimpse of 'Mrs. Q'. Changing tack, he goes for sympathy, "Please...captain, let her be, she's...shy." Even Q knows how ridiculous he sounds; he winces as he finishes his excuse.

"Shy? Q, you must really think I'm stupid."

"Quite the contrary, my dear, I would just ask that you respect my wife's privacy. Besides, you wouldn't like her, trust me. Either that or you'd get it into your silly head to convince her that she could 'do better'." He gestures the quotation marks around the last two words.

"And I have no doubt that she could, Q. Personally I'd rather swallow live scorpions."

Q chuckles with a grimly smug grin, "Someday you may eat your words, but hopefully not the scorpions." He pats her cheek and saunters easily out of the tent with his mate's counterpart at his heels. He heads into the woods, in the general direction taken by his mate. As it were, it wasn't long before the two Janeways stood face to face! Q takes his Kathryn's arm and draws her to him, putting an arm around her shoulders as she gapes dumbly at her younger self and receives an equally floored expression in return.

"You see? I told you you wouldn't like her. Have I mentioned I've come from the future, namely _your_ future?"

The younger Kathryn backpedals, shaking her head, "Impossible! I'd never, ever...it's unthinkable! You must be controlling her somehow, it's the only explanation. You tricked her and now she's stuck with you. Now that I know about it, it can be changed!" Unsure of what else to do, she pushes her way out of the woods and runs home to the shelter.

In her alarmed state, she blindly collides with Chakotay, who catches her unflinchingly. "Did I miss the hundred meter dash?" He laughs good-naturedly at his own wit until he sees the ashen look on his friend's face "Kathryn, what is it? You look shaken to the core."

Struggling to catch her breath, she gasps, "You won't believe...who's here...its Q...with his...mate," pausing in order to fight back the urge to retch, she gives Chakotay time to absorb the news.

He steers her through the doorway and helps her sit down, he takes a seat next to her, prompting her for more. "He has a mate? Well, at least that means he should leave _you_ alone. What are they doing _here_?" 

Kathryn shakes her head violently, determined not to calm down. "He claims they're on vacation, and I doubt very much that he'll ever leave me alone. They've come from a future timeline, apparently. His wife is...me!"

"You?" Chakotay whispers in amazement, but resigns from any further comment on the subject when he could clearly see how upset his dear friend is.

"I'm going to try to save her, Chakotay, she can't be happy with him!" She moans melodramatically, holding her head in her hands. Chakotay puts his arm around her and pulls her in. He rocks her gently, allowing her to let it out; it's been a rough day already.

"Let's just settle down, if we put our heads together we'll come up with a solution. Don't worry; you won't have to spend eternity with Q if I have anything to say about it." Kathryn looks up at him with a weak smile, hope returning. "By the way," he continues, "how old would you say she looks? That could give us an idea of when she was abducted."

She shrugs, "Mid-forties, maybe fifty. Not much older than I am, when you think about it. I'm doomed!"

They spend the rest of the day planning their strategy, Chakotay was to sneak up on them and carry Kathryn's future self off while Q's guard was down. The simplest plans work best. For personal safety, he brought a phaser along, but he hoped he wouldn't have to use it.

The two exiles from the Q continuum lay cuddled on the grass outside their campsite. A shadow passes over them, but they're too absorbed in each other to notice. Kathryn rolls on top of Q with a quirky smile. "You know, it's a good thing you and I were able to slip away quietly when we came here. I have no doubt in my mind that the children would have wanted to come along."

"Don't they know it's against the rules to go on their own parents' second honeymoon?"

"Five hundred years... it still seems like yesterday to me."

Q sits up, holding her on his lap, serious for once, "Have you ever regretted it? Coming away with me, I mean?"

She gives it serious thought, choosing her answer carefully. "I'll be honest, it was rather...lonely at first, outliving all of my friends and family...it would have been hard for anyone. But I've been happy with you, and I don't regret it. I remember...Chakotay never resented me, even though he would have had reason to. He grew old, I stayed as young as the day we met. Just before he died, he forbade me to bring him back. And they all knew, everyone, they knew what his death would mean for me. They could all expect regular visits from me, but as of that moment I renounced my humanity. There was nothing else tying me to the mortal world. I fully accepted my Qness, and I was ready to join you when you came back for me a few weeks later."

"I only stayed away because I thought you'd want that time alone, it wasn't easy. But I'm glad you've been happy with me."

There is a rustling sound a meter away, causing them both to glance up. They don't see anything unusual so they resume their hallmark moment.

Chakotay strides purposefully into the shelter, slamming the phaser down on the table. Kathryn pounces on him immediately, "Well, where is she?" she looks behind him hopefully.

"I couldn't do it. I couldn't take her like that. If you heard what I heard you'd understand." He sits down, massaging his forehead, still reeling from the shock of that vision of marital bliss.

"He's her captor!" she ejaculates dramatically.

"He's her husband." His words have the desired effect, stunned silence fills the room. Using this opportunity to elaborate, he plunges ahead, "They have a family, she went to him willingly. They're on their second honeymoon, they're in love. I refuse to break up a family like that, it's unheard of."

"What if they were lying, putting on a show to stop you?"

"They didn't even know I was there! As unbelievable as it sounds, she's happy with Q! You _will_ be happy with him! I'm not going to kidnap someone just because we don't like her husband."

Kathryn paces nervously, like a caged wild animal, a new determined look in her eye. "You might not, but I will. It's my future at stake after all." She grabs her coat and the phaser and heads out the door.

She finds her counterpart curled up with Q, silently looking up at the stars. After a moment's pause, she draws her weapon.

Kathryn #2 smiles serenely, "You know, Q, there's something romantic about going to our deaths together."

Q squeezes her hand and pulls her closer, "Frankly I'd rather skip that particular honor." They turn to each other and giggle conspiratorially, further infuriating their gun-toting companion with their blatant lack of alarm. Pointing the phaser at Q, she commands her future self, "Get up, you're coming with me. It's all right."

Her counterpart complies, putting her hands on her head in the standard hostage position. They back off a couple paces when the future Janeway looks appealingly to her younger self. "Please..." she glances back at Q, "My husband."

The younger Janeway sees him stand, perceives him as a threat and fires! The older Janeway screams as he falls backwards with a thud. "Coward! Murderer!" she hisses at her past self, "He had no weapon; he was only trying to see where you were taking me!" Her voice shakes low as sobs take over, "My husband! How could you?"

The journey back is traversed in dumb shock, save for the older Kathryn's piteous moans, "What will I tell our children? That I killed their father in cold blood? Why not me too and make a clean job of it?"

"You're an innocent victim, you're safe now."

"I assure you that whatever Q is guilty of, I bear the same color. We went everywhere together, did everything together! As for my safety, I have serious doubts. I'm just as guilty as he is, why not kill me? I might still see him on the other side." The younger Kathryn looks at her in wonderment, her future self mourning her adversary.

They reach the shelter and as soon as they're in the older Kathryn dashes behind Chakotay. "Keep that murderer away from me, she's crazy! Q's dead! She shot him!" She falls to the floor, suddenly dizzy as first-hand memories of the event overwhelm her. "I killed him, my poor Q! He didn't mean any harm! What will I tell our children?"

Throwing 'his' Janeway a dark reproachful look, he squats by the wretched creature on the floor, dabbing at her eyes, "He's going to be fine, I sabotaged the phaser. He was stunned, nothing more."

They both gape at him in disbelief, the future Janeway throws her arms around Chakotay's neck and kisses him in violent gratitude. "Oh, how like you! You never liked Q all that much but you always tolerated him for my sake! You spared him for me, how can I repay you?"

"Please let go," he chokes, in her excitement, Kathryn had nearly cut off his air supply. She releases her grasp and stands, beaming defiantly at her younger self. "Ha! Foiled by your own comrade-in-arms. Oh, if you weren't me I'd smite you into oblivion once my powers were restored!"

"_Your_ powers?" her past self repeats.

"I've been a Q for ages; there was a misunderstanding with our 'travel agent' so until tomorrow morning we're stuck as humans. I've been as endowed as any other Q for over 500 years with ample opportunity to make a break for it if I'd wanted to. Rather presumptuous of you to think that I needed saving, you know full well I can take care of myself. I haven't been brainwashed, either, so you can rule out that possibility as well. Good bye old friend!" she farewells Chakotay, "As soon as I'm juiced up again I'll try to find some way to repay you!" She then turns and skips merrily to the door as thunder begins rolling overhead.

She finds Q, still unconscious, as rain begins to fall and lightning strikes in the distance. Crouching by his side, she coaxes urgently, "Q, you have to get up and get to shelter, looks like we're in for a storm." She throws his arm over her shoulder and helps him stagger to a nearby cave. He regains his footing along the way and whispers, "I think you like dragging me out of harm's way."

Kathryn groans, masking a laugh as they make it inside the cave and sit up against a wall. As quickly as they had gotten inside, they are both completely soaked. They quickly build a fire to dry off. The snug atmosphere is once more dissipated, however, with the return of Kamikaze Kate! Chakotay follows close behind, trying to restrain her.

"Just what do you expect to accomplish? She's perfectly safe, and she's not acting on anyone's will but her own. Why can't you let it go?" Chakotay demands urgently as they stand over the two former Qs. Chakotay grabs at his companion's sleeve, causing her to jerk away. She accidentally squeezes the trigger and it goes off in the air, setting off a cave-in. Heavy rocks fall from the ceiling, blocking the exit, and a space in the middle of the cave. There's a mad grab to get the girls to safety, causing the four of them to be divided into the two halves of the cave, now completely cut off down the middle.

Q tries to shield the Kathryn on his side of the wall from the smattering of rocks that are still falling, but is unable to stop a particularly big one from hitting her on the head. She staggers backward, her equilibrium thrown off-kilter, and trips. She lands with a thud and a sickening crack from her left leg. Kathryn groans, blinded by pain. Her surroundings mist away as she loses consciousness. Q sits down next to her and lays her in his lap, for the moment unsure whether the woman in his arms was his mate or her vengeful counterpart.

On the other side of the wall, the older Janeway flickers, fades, vanishes...then rematerializes. Groping blindly in the darkness, she paws at Chakotay who catches hold of her hand, "What happened?" She makes a wild 'I don't know' gesture, well on her way to hyperventilating as the reality of the situation sets in.

Kathryn slowly comes to, dimly aware that she's cuddled up to someone. "Mmm, just a few more minutes. You're warm," she croons, half to herself, awash with inexplicable sensations of comfort. This someone is sharply patting at her face as though it was the closest thing to slapping her awake that he could bear to do. Fully awake, through the haze of her clouded vision she recognizes the person she is trapped with and groans. She tries feebly to ward him away as Q's face looms next to her. "How many fingers, Kathy?" He holds up three, cupping her face in the other hand. She blinks her eyes, still seeing stars, "Eight," she moans blearily.

"Just hold on, my dear, you'll be all right. Tomorrow is just a few hours away. Stay awake now, love, or you'll never wake up."

Her eyes clearing a little, she glares venomously up at him. "Will you stop talking like that?! I'm not your Kathy, nor am I your 'dear', or your 'love'. You've got the wrong one and I'm about to die from a concussion!"

"And just whose fault is that, Calamity Janeway? Firing that thing in the air, I'm amazed the entire structure didn't collapse!" Calming down, having had his say, Q turns to look at her leg. Without warning he rips open her pants leg and tears the fabric into strips. "Brace yourself now, this is really going to hurt. I'm going to force your bones back into place and bind it up." With a bone-crunching jerk and an anguished cry, the first half of the task is done. He then uses the phaser to shape a narrow sliver of rock into a crude splint and ties her leg up to it. After pausing a moment to admire his handiwork, he turns to his patient. "How's that feel?"

Janeway meets his gaze with a stony look of grudging gratitude, "Better. Thank you," she murmurs almost inaudibly.

Q smoothes the bandages absently, getting another rise out of his captive patient. "Q, keep that up and I'll kick all your teeth straight down your throat!" She growls.

Far from insulted, he breaks into a bright grin, "Aha! That's my girl, that's the spirit! One thing I've always loved about you, Kathy, is that you were never intimidated by me, you always acted as though we were equals somehow."

"I've asked you not to call me that," she groans uselessly, "I'm _not_ your wife, I am _not_ 'your girl', and I am _not_ amused! Am I being clear enough for you?!" she demands while jerking away as well as she can.

"All right, fine! Women! All you have to do is stay awake and alert until morning, then my wife and I will be powered up again and I'll be able to heal you properly."

Kathryn looks up at him quizzically, "You'll do what?" Q stands, enjoying the effect of towering over her for a moment. "I'll heal you, you know, make you all better."

"You'd do that?"

"Of course, you silly! If I let you die now there's no end to the consequences to the timeline. Think about it, everything you've done after this point won't happen, history will be irrevocably changed: people's lives are at stake!"

Kathryn cringes back slightly, wide-eyed at the gravity of her effect on the universe. "Anything else? Or don't I want to know?"

"Well, it goes without saying that my wife and two adorable children most likely won't exist." He conveniently leaves out the fact that Q2 is not technically her child, but he figures it's more dramatic that way. "Without your help I'll probably get myself executed, if that happens then the war in the continuum won't end, the supernovas will probably cause more destruction to the cosmos...planets getting incinerated in their wake...let's just say if you die now the whole universe will pay. That's why I'm going to do everything I can to keep that from happening. One more reason for you, though: we're pals!"

This unexpected remark is enough to break through her shields and she giggles, but the next second she tries to act as though she hadn't. It doesn't escape Q's notice, though; he squats down and takes her hands. "So even now I can make you laugh? That's comforting."

On the other side of the wall, Chakotay finds himself under the scrutinizing gaze of his former shipmate.

"It's been so good to see you again, almost as if you're back from the dead. I've missed you. My...daughter still mentions you sometimes."

"You have a daughter?" Chakotay probes, "I'm glad you've had children, it must be nice having a family. Why would your daughter mention me?"

Kathryn smiles, barely visible in the dimness of the cave, "You were like another father to her. She naturally hung around _Voyager_ primarily; you were able to fill in if Q wasn't around. She's grown up now, of course, they grow up so fast. We're thinking about having another child, it would be nice." She stops, then scoots in closer. "Hold me."

"What?!"

"Please? Q wouldn't mind, he's not the jealous type. Besides, he knows that you and I go way back. He'd trust you to take care of me."

Chakotay gawks at the future edition of the woman he's known for barely a year. "Kathryn, I--"

"Please," she soothes warmly, "for old times' sake."

Cautiously, he puts his arms around her, letting her cuddle up to him in a way that to her must seem perfectly natural. "You weren't hurt in the cave-in, were you?"

She shakes her head, "A few scrapes, just enough to be a novelty." She grins widely at his confused look. "Qs don't feel pain, its still new for me."

"Has he been good to you? From what I've seen and heard today I'd say so, but I need to know for sure," Chakotay requests, unsure of the reason behind his concern for her well-being...and happiness.

She gives her answer serious thought before voicing it. "He's...unpredictable, in a good way. I hope he's all right, I know my other self isn't, though."

"What makes you say that?"

"I used to be her, remember? I can remember things from her perspective, and believe me she's in rough shape. She may very well die tonight. If that happens, there will be changes." As if to confirm the severity of the situation, Kathryn flickers, fades, then comes back looking absolutely terrified. Chakotay mirrors her grim expression.

"Was that...what I thought it was?"

Kathryn nods shakily, staring unseeing ahead of her, "I think so. She died...but came back. I think she's okay for now but she better not do it again, that was scary! I hope Q is taking good care of her. Not that he can do much of anything in our present state...I can imagine how helpless he must feel."

Q crouches next to the younger Janeway, glaring hard at her, "Don't you _ever_ do that again! You scared me half to death!" he scolds. "I'm serious, if you drop off for a nap like that again I'll--"

"You'll _what?_" Janeway challenges, stifling a yawn.

"I shall do the most disturbing, disgusting thing I can think of: I'll _kiss_ you!"

The threat has the desired effect, Kathryn sits up straighter, holding out her hands in a warding gesture. "Fine, you win! I'm up!" She concedes defeat, "Just stay on your side of the cave and no funny business!"

Q pouts, feigning hurt, "No funny business? But that's my mission in life! And how, may I ask, am I going to keep you alert if I stay on 'my' so-called side of the cave? At least you're not panicking anymore, you sound more like the you I know when you're all worked up like this." He pinches her cheek, "You're cute when you're mad."

"What do you see in him, anyway?" Chakotay inquires out of the blue.

Kathryn smiles inwardly, "He makes me laugh." She then looks at the wall of fallen rocks that stand between them and escape, not to mention those they care most about. An idea brews in her mind for nearly a full minute before she points quizzically in its direction. "Does one of those stones look loose to you?"

Chakotay sits up straighter, finding her line of vision, "Like it could be coaxed out?" They turn to each other with hopeful expressions. Chakotay gets up and scoots towards the wall. "Let me help."

Kathryn stops him with a touch on the arm. "Sorry, friend, there's only one person I'd trust with something like this. I was class Jenga champion at the Academy!"

Q watches his charge intently, her apparent anxiety causing him to attempt to calm her. He creeps up closer to her, reaches outward, taking her hand...

Kathryn snaps out of her trance. "I'm not sleeping! What do you think you're--" She stops short, speechless as he presses her hand to his cheek. No matter how she hypothesizes it, she can't read anything ill-meant into his moment of tenderness. However, she feels obligated to stop him before it goes too far.

"Q..." she whispers, a bit touched amid her frustration with him. "I'm not your wife. However much I may look, sound, or smell like her...I'm _not_ her." She pulls her hand away from him abruptly. Q withdraws, giving her a dark disappointed look, slouching backward, silently sulking. "You're only making matters worse! Yes, I'm scared but you don't seem to understand that you are not exactly helping to set my mind at ease: threatening to kiss me to keep me awake, making me touch you...its very uncomfortable!" She growls with a shudder, shaking herself as if to rid herself of his germs.

"Humans!" he scoffs contemptuously, "you couldn't possibly understand what an absolutely dreadful time I'm having!"

"Well, I'm _sorry_ to inconvenience you!" Janeway snaps sarcastically. "Besides, if I were you I wouldn't start slandering humans if I was one! What, may I ask, would I not understand? Personally, I'm not exactly over the moon to be here myself!"

"We've never been apart this long!" shouts Q with a touch of a whine. "We haven't...been separated from one another...not for centuries. And you! You have no idea how unfair this is!" He pauses, trying to find the words, accusing "You're nothing like her!"

"So, you miss that...other me in there, is that right?"

"That's _quite_ an understatement. Besides, she's not 'another you', I already said, you're nothing like her. If I didn't know that in a few short years you end up as my mate I'd never believe it. It's just around the corner, you know. You become one of the best friends I've ever had. Sure, we've had a few exchanges of wit and will, but you've never outright _hated_ me, until now. I was only a pest, a pesky annoyance, but never warranting your _loathing_. Not even Jean-Luc was ever that adamantly against me."

Kathryn leans forward, intrigued in spite of herself, listening to him as he gives a brief glimpse of their future together. "Do you want to know when I realized we were friends? You saved my life, risking your own in the process, and stayed with me until I regained consciousness. I won't say when," he adds with a sly smile, "because that would be telling." He gives her a wink, his speech was enough to cause his companion to drop shields again with a brief smile. Months ago at their first meeting, Kathryn had illuminated the fact that he'd never been a liar, and the sincerity of his tone as he spoke of their friendship now was enough to make her warm up to him a little. A small part of her had finally accepted that she is safe with Q. After taking a moment to take in his revelation, Kathryn comes to a personal conclusion:

"All right, I don't hate you. I...can't hate you," she adds in an undertone, "and I'm not afraid of you, but we're _not_ friends."

"Yet," Q prophesizes, his eyes alight with his old puckish grin on his face. Their moment is interrupted by a sudden tapping sound emanating from the wall. Kathryn's head snaps up, listening to the strangely familiar yet unexplained signal. "Three, then two..." she murmurs to herself, listening for a pattern. "Three quick ones, two slow ones," she elaborates as she deciphers the code.

"An SOS?" Q wonders aloud.

"No," Kathryn dismisses shortly, grinning with sudden understanding as she translates, eyes fixed on the stone wall: "Jenga."

"She got the message!"

"Don't stop just yet, not until you know for sure," Chakotay advises.

"All she has to do is find the right rock!" Kathryn exclaims with giddy excitement. They wait patiently while the younger Janeway finds the loose rock. "I didn't know I'd miss him this much," she confesses, highly anticipating their reunion. "It's good to know. I've been...a little tough to reach lately. That's one reason for this trip, it was Q's idea."

Chakotay leans in, "Trouble in paradise?"

Kathryn faces him with a serious expression. "I think I'm losing myself. Its been becoming more apparent that I've...forgotten what it is to be human. It hasn't all gone, some patches are fuzzy, details. Things that used to be important...I don't know anymore. _Made_ immortals are very few, for what are now obvious reasons. The ability to cope with certain aspects just isn't bred into everybody." Enough dancing around the real problem, she is silent for a full minute before she confesses with downcast eyes, "I'm starting to forget you."

"And that bothers you. Does that make you angry at your husband? For making you what you are?"

"At Q? No. Sometimes, something reminds me of when I was human, and that might set me off. But on the whole it's been wonderful, Q says I've adjusted quite well. I just suddenly realized that it's been ages since I've even thought of you. And that does make me angry, with myself. I could try to work it out that forgetting you is somehow Q's doing, but I can't, it wouldn't add up. So it must be my fault, and I'm sorry."

Chakotay takes her hand, "From what I understand I've been dead for centuries by your calendar. Was it because you're supposed to be infallible?"

"Infallible? You think I'm upset out of stupid pride?"

"You're not, then?"

"No, you stupid primate, it's because I happen to love you! I was _married_ to you for nearly fifty years before you had to go and die like that!" She breathes shakily, sniffling, "Didn't even let me say goodbye. Mortal," she contemptuously adds for good measure.

Chakotay puts an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a cuddle, "I'm sorry." Kathryn finishes sniffling, gives him a watery smile that suddenly erupts into a wild giggling streak.

"I'm not laughing at you, honest! It's a little macabre, though, don't you think? Offering condolences for my loss when the one I lost was you?" After taking a few calming breaths she chances a glance at him again with a fresh supply of suppressed sniggers. "Oh, I've missed you!"

Making a mental note not to take her reaction too hard, he tilts her chin up, fighting the urge to kiss her. For a second it looks like she expected him to, her eyes droop closed and she leans a little closer, but it doesn't come. "So missing Q is a good sign?"

"Oh, yes. This has all been completely irregular. Normally, as Qs, a mated couple becomes part of one another. Without part of him _in_ me I feel...empty, plain...naked! Nervous, too. I can't seem to focus for very long. I don't even want to know how he's coping with nothing but a pale reflection of me to keep him company. It's so unfair."

Here Chakotay draws the line, "I happen to be pretty fond of that so-called pale reflection. I'm sure she'd change rooms with you if she could."

Kathryn makes a dismissive gesture, feeling the old cadence of a Q-related spat with her former first officer. "That's not what I meant and you know it. He might be better off than I am in the long run, though. If we're apart for much longer our symptoms will only get worse. At least he's still _technically_ with his mate." She fidgets agitatedly, then wraps her arms about herself as if to fight off a chill, shivering though the cave is quite warm. "I'm worried about what she'd think if he suddenly...needed to get close to her. She may look like me but she won't respond to him like I would."

"Take it easy on her, she doesn't know Q like you do. What do you expect?"

"She knows he's harmless! We've made it clear to her that we're happy together, how can she still need convincing?"

"Looks like your word doesn't mean much to her considering who you've been rubbing elbows with. The fact that you're with him of your own free will doesn't help her estimations, she may view you as an extension of him."

To his surprise, this information is met with a semi-dazzle. "You mean...she thinks I've been influenced by Q? Oh, this is delightful!"

"You even talk like him," he adds, not missing a beat.

Again, she surprises him by looking as though she could receive no higher praise. "Really? You think so?"

"That's a compliment?"

Nodding earnestly, Kathryn brightens visibly, "Oh, yes. I can't explain why, but it means that in some small way we're still connected. Not physically or spiritually, but that somehow I have some part of him left with me. We've become like each other. It's good to know." She sighs to herself, then changes tack. "You could do something for me while we're here, if it's not too strange to ask."

"Name it," Chakotay answers.

"I'd like…to say goodbye to you properly. I never got the chance and I need that closure. I think it would be good for me. The truth is, I've mourned you longer than I should have, canonized you in my own way which ends up making me feel guilty if I don't _remember_ to remember you. It's been half a millennium, Chakotay, it's not healthy. What we had was beautiful and perfect and more than I deserved, but…"

"You need me to tell you its okay to forget. You said it yourself, Kathryn, it's been a very long time and you've already started to let some aspects fade. Its all right, you can stop being angry. You can't help it, it's natural. It doesn't make our relationship any less. And I'm glad you've found someone who makes you happy. If what we shared was even a small chapter of your life, I'm glad that I had a part in it at all. I don't want to be the reason for guilt on your part. Understand? I don't think that's all of it, though. I overheard you earlier with Q. You feel guilty that you could have brought me back to life and I made you let me die. Perhaps even…watch me die." He ends in a whisper, more to himself. Could he have done it, had their places been changed? Could he obey the order to stand aside and let her die? He wondered. "You're my friend, one of the best and unexpected friends I could have, someone I'd gladly be marooned with."

"We could have made such a life here," comes Kathryn's reverent whisper, "I do remember this place. This was the best we had for years. Of course you don't know what I'm talking about but trust me that it's for the best. After this there are…moments where we're a breath away from one another's arms, and others where we have a phaser pointed in the other's direction," she elaborates with a dry chuckle. All forgiven, they snuggle together in a brief moment of comfort.

Kathryn pushes on the loose rock, feels it grate roughly as it moves an inch inwards. "Ha! Found it!"

The wall sways dangerously in the middle, Kathryn and Chakotay spring up to brace it back up, Kathryn chanting monotonously, "Jenga, jenga, jenga…"

On the other side of the wall, Q does what he can to keep the wall steady while Team Janeway prove her skill. "Jenga, jenga, jenga…" they intone in unison, feeling for the right 'block'. The past edition taps one inwards, this time it slides effortlessly so it sticks out three centimeters on the other side. Her part done, she flattens herself against the precarious wall, still praying to the elusive Jenga gods, doing everything in her power to store exact memories for her future self's aid.

"She's crazy! The slapshot maneuver in the middle of the tower?" The future Janeway commentates aloud, in full game mode, "It's too risky, I could kill them!

"They're not in danger if you don't miss," her lone cheerleader reminds her.

"Why doesn't she just push it through to our side?"

"There isn't room and she knows it. She trusts you, go!"

The past Janeway squats in the duck-and-cover position while Q acts as a human shield for extra insurance. Tension builds, even the men are taking up the plaintive muttering of "Jenga, jenga, jenga…" quietly under their breaths. Suddenly, the brick pops out, flies over Kathryn and Q's scrunched bodies and lands with an echoing crack. The wall remains stable, everyone heaves a sigh of relief. Four pairs of eyes peer silently at the stone, still spinning from its flight.

"Q, help me up," Kathryn requests, "and get off!"

He follows her brusque command with an equally rough two-handed lift. She limps over to the small slot they had made and peers in. She is met by a duplicate pare of blue-green eyes.

"Good shot," the past Janeway tells her double.

"Thanks. You, too. Listen, I'm sorry to cut this short but could I have a moment with Q?" 

Kathryn #2 raises an eyebrow, robbed of awkward banter with herself. "Sure, I'll get him."

"Thank you, I miss him so badly I itch! We've never been apart this long before."

"So I hear," her counterpart nods. "He must miss you pretty badly, too. He can't keep his hands off me," she adds with a disturbed shudder. The second she steps away from the opening, Q slides into her place.

"Are you all right?" he probes right off the bat.

His mate reaches through and grabs his arm, draws it through to her side and presses his hand to her cheek. "I am now," she purrs. After a moment of marital bliss between Q and his Q-ette, a shadow passes between them.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asks, somber for once.

"That remake of _Shock Treatment_ was even worse than the original?" Kathryn fake guesses with a forced smile. Dropping her attempt to keep the mood light, she gives the real answer, "That somehow this is worse." Rubbing his hand between hers longingly she continues, "Being able to do this much does little to satisfy." Her gaze flicks to her past self and back again. "_She _might help you a little," she suggests pointedly.

Q grumbles in an ill-used way, "You know that one won't let me near her, she all but hates me."

"So get to her, soften her up a little. You could _always_ get to me," she whispers with a remarkably Q-like grin at his most irreverent

That sounds good, only--"What about you?"

A casual shrug, cleverly disguising her frustration, "Oh, I have an old friend to keep my mind off things."

"Until morning, then," Q murmurs melodramatically, kissing her fingers.

This gets a look of reassurance from his mate, "Until morning." They both withdraw from their little window and Q sits down again next to his fellow prisoner. He pats her knee, getting a stony look in return. 

"What?" She challenges, its obvious her patience for him is wearing thin. Instantly he becomes defensive, but doesn't budge. "I wasn't doing anything, I just wondered if you wanted to see some pictures of our kids."

Kathryn is caught with her shields down, "We have children together?" Awe replaces suspicion.

By way of reply, Q pulls out a fold-out mini album from an inside pocket. They give out a vague ethereal glow, gradually becoming misty around the edges. They flip through a few pages, Q2 and his half-sister Angelique are often shown together, its obvious they share an affinity for one another. The last image is a candid shot of Kathryn and Q kissing, their fingers interwoven. The past Janeway touches this one in disbelief, "My eyes are closed."

Not understanding, Q brushes it off, "So what? So are mine."

Trying to find a way to voice her distress, she emphasizes the point. "I only do that when I _mean_ it!" Kathryn flips back through the pictures again. Q2 is of course the exact younger version of his father; and while Angelique's prominent features of red hair and porcelain complexion favored her mother, she also looked at the world through large wide-set eyes that spoke of her father's strain in her.

"They're beautiful," their future parent confesses, "they look genuinely happy together. Who took these pictures anyway?"

"These are actually memories. You made some, I did, even the children."

"That one of us," breathes Q's reluctant bride-to-be.

"So…" a thoroughly stir-crazy Chakotay begins, wanting something to occupy him for however short a time, "What do the two of you do together anyway?" On an unconscious level, he also wants to keep her distracted from the situation at hand, noticing how fidgety his old friend has become. At odd times since their game of Ultimate Jenga he'd even heard her whimper to herself. She must be frightened, he thought, and why shouldn't she be? Her very existence is in jeopardy, and she doesn't even have her husband to comfort her. "Do you go many places?"

She looks up as though snapping out of a trance, brightening somewhat. "Hmm? Oh, yes, we've gone everywhere together! There was this one planet we visited a while ago, the natives thought we were their gods! Naturally we milked the situation as best we could, which was fun…until they decided to throw us into a live volcano. Now how did we get out of that one?" As she ponders their escape, Chakotay suddenly realizes how far removed this woman is from the one on the other side of the wall. "Oh, yes, now I remember!" Kathryn applauds herself, "We convinced them we were merely messengers from the spirit world, emissaries, and their real gods would be coming later."

"Who's idea was that?"

Kathryn shrugs, "I really don't know, we tend to share thoughts freely between us. Its hard to say where the thought originated." She turns away slightly and scratches her arm, her movement drawing Chakotay's attention. He watches, horrified as he sees what she's been doing for the past few minutes unobserved. She had scratched away a layer of her own skin and began sobbing aloud, shivering. He grabs her arm to make her stop, she fights him for a few seconds before conceding defeat. Her fingernails are stained red and long deep marks seep blood down both of her arms. "Kathryn, what do you think you're doing?!"

She heaves a shaky sob, "I c-can't help it! Its been getting worse all night. I can't stand it, it feels like there are _things_ crawling on me!" She fights the urge to scratch again, Chakotay takes her hands between his. "We've…never been apart for this long before. Even back home, we could be different places, but the connection would still be there. We'd still _be_ together. That little gap in the wall was hardly worth the effort for all the good it does!"

Looking helplessly for something to dress her wounds, Chakotay says, half to himself, "Its going to be infected, a filthy place like this. Not even any water to rinse off the blood."

"I'll live. I heal fast," Kathryn reassures him, from the looks of it she's resisting the urge to scratch again. "I even survived assimilation, remember? Of course you don't remember, it hasn't happened yet." She gives a weak smile to show she's fine and cuddles up to him with a sigh of relief. "Its better when we're like this, you're enough like him. No offense."

Chakotay holds her tightly, letting her lay against his chest, something he's only dreamed of doing to her counterpart. He smoothes her hair, smiling down at her. "I've probably already told you this sometime in the future, but just in case I haven't: I love you."

Kathryn's eyes are drooping, but she squirms cozily against his warm body. "Mmm, I love you too, Chakotay." Her response comes so easily and so automatic that he knows that they must have had exchanges of this nature, that there is a time in the near future when they're open with their feelings. Even if they have to be put on hold for a while, its worth the wait, he thinks to himself.

She is stirred to waking moments later, but only just. Barely lifting her head from its resting place she winces slightly at the sound of phaser-fire and a dull thud. "She shot him again," Kathryn mutters nonchalantly.

"Spirits, what's gotten into her?" Chakotay demands, annoyed. Kathryn lays her head back down, "No, wait." Pausing for a moment, she allows first-hand memories to instill themselves fully, "Its different this time. It was out of mercy, not malice that she fired on him." An ironic smile plays across her lips, "Relief from suffering. Poor Q, he must be worse off than I am to arouse _her_ pity." She makes herself comfortable again and allows herself to drift off once more.

Kathryn stares in disbelief at what she had done. Q's crumpled body lay a meter from her outstretched feet. She scoots to him on her hands and lays his prone form in her lap. She had been left with no choice, he was becoming extremely restless and was well on the way to scratching himself silly. "The poor man", she thinks to herself, "I had no idea it could be so painful. He spoke of their separation as a reason for discomfort, but no sign was made that it would result in such a violent reaction. And _her_. My double must be in dire straits, too." The past Janeway doesn't notice at the time, but she sheds a tear for her adversary. She tries to prop him up so he's not lying on her injured leg, feeling that same strange wave of comfort she'd felt earlier when their roles had been reversed. She rocks him a little, noticing his pained moaning had given way to natural breathing. "He's really quite handsome, once that smug expression he always wears is wiped off his face. But how do _I_ end up as his wife? The mother of his children, companion for half a millennium? Why do I care about his welfare all of a sudden?" The next second she surprises herself with the answer, "Because he's helpless, suffering…and he did the same for me. He's a nuisance, yes, but not as bad as his reputation.

"Look at that," Chakotay remarks, pointing, "and me without a holo-imager."

"Let me see," his companion yawns, sitting up to peer through their little window. "Aww, now that takes me back. Looks even better without the 19th century costumes. Don't ask, you'll find out. I can do one better than a holo of them, though. Our memories serve as tangible records. If everything goes as it should, we'll have 'photographic evidence' enough.

A few minutes later, Q starts to come around, snuggling into Kathryn's lap semiconsciously with a content moan. Suddenly aware of her nearness he wakes up fully, looking around him wildly for a moment before staring his cellmate in the face. "Kathy, is that you?" She uncertainly nods, confused. "My Kathy…How did…I don't care, I just have to tell you. Don't say anything, just hear me out. I'm so sorry I brought you here; I only did because you'd told me that as a human you'd been happiest here and I thought it would help us. It seemed to be going fine until we got trapped in here anyway. I want things to be right, like they were before. Look, I know you said you didn't regret coming away with me to begin with, but maybe you're just not cut out for this life." That must be it, he thinks, she'd be happier as a mortal, it was what she was meant to be anyway. Then why did she act as horrified as he when they realized they'd been reduced to mere mortals in the transfer? "In the morning, I can take it all back, you know. I can even arrange…I don't know, whatever it takes. I want you to be happy. I'd even stay human with you if you'd let me"

She now realizes that he thinks he's talking to his mate, but is still unsure what he's babbling about. "Q, what are you talking about?"

"You know. Every time one of your mortals dies, or doesn't need you anymore, you take it so hard. I hoped you'd get used to it in time. I should have known you wouldn't, though, just from the way it started. Your first taste of immortality, the first person you outlived had to be your husband, and I knew it traumatized you. But you still came home with me, so I thought you'd be fine."

"Have I been that unhappy, Q, that you'd risk trying to change the past?"

Now its Q's turn to be confused, thrown off by the wording of her question. It almost sounds as though she doesn't remember. "I know you've never _said_ that you're unhappy. You're just…quiet sometimes. I…get worried when you don't talk to me, I don't want you to be angry. I do notice, you know, when something reminds you of your husband you get quiet."

Kathryn draws a shaky breath with a strangely soft look in her eyes. The infamous Q, known enemy of the Federation, reduced to this uncertain state for the love of a human. It was so unheard of it was ridiculous. She'd never dreamed he could ever care for someone like that, he seemed more likely to scoff at the notion. Now here he was, prepared to do something rash for the sake of her happiness. She tightens her embrace around him, feeling sucker-punched by his lengthy insight into their future marriage. This is what her future self had been trying to tell her about. As much as time with him would change her, she would end up returning the favor, making them more like each other than even they would realize. "Q, don't say any more, its not right. I shouldn't be hearing this. Its just me, I'm the other one, remember?"

"You're…not…?" He looks her up and down, sees the bruise on her head and the DIY splint on her leg. He tries to pull away from her, "You're not Kathy, you're that uptight captain who hates me!" To his surprise, she strokes his back, shushing him gently.

"I don't hate you, now quiet. You're all right, or you will be. Do you feel any better?" He nods, thoroughly embarrassed by his heartfelt confession. "You…fainted, I had no idea anything could be so painful." She runs her fingers though his sweaty mussed-up hair, separating it into damp curls. "Its all right," she soothes, her own soft tone taking her by surprise. No longer a villain in her mind, she allows herself to feel attracted to her strange companion, beginning to see in him what her future self sees in him, and that's a bit of a frightening thought.

"All right, I'll buy that, but why are we cozied up like this?"

"I suppose I felt sorry for you. We currently aren't as close as I know we're _going_ to be, but I can't tolerate watching someone suffer. Not even you. You seem to be doing better now."

Q relaxes with a hint of his old self returning, "So," he remarks with a touch of smugness, "you care?"

His attitude is enough to tease a giggle out of her again, which she forces down with greater difficulty than before. "Let's not take it that far, but if you didn't survive the night, my future self would have more than a few well-chosen words in store for me. You should have seen her face when she thought I'd killed you. If looks could kill I'd be toast. Since I can't let that happen…I've got your back."

Q starts in shock, stares at her though wide eyes, "And I yours." Janeway raises an eyebrow, unsure of what was said, but with suspicion that it was more than she'd intended.

In the other room, the other Q exile jumps at her younger self's previous statement. "Why that little hussy, how dare she!" she growls severely. "She doesn't even like him, how can she say such a thing? She's got his back," she sneers sarcastically, "but who's had his back for the last 500 years?"

"Kathryn, settle down. What's the big deal? All she said was--"

Pouting tremulously, she interrupts, "Our wedding vows!"

Dumbfounded, Chakotay tries to make sense of this. "That's what Qs say at their weddings?"

"No, that was our idea. We'd already made a habit of bailing each other out of trouble, it seemed…poetic, it was ours. What right does that _kid_ have to steal him from me?"

"I'm sure she couldn't have known its significance, and I've got a feeling she isn't interested in stealing him away."

Slowly, her wrath fades, "You're right, I suppose, I just got jealous. I should be glad they appear to be getting along. I can't help it; now I know how you probably felt."

"How I--" Chakotay flounders, lost again.

Heaving a long sigh, Kathryn comes clean. "We were married at the same time." Before he can react, she tells him the short version. "You and I were engaged, I was kidnapped by a rogue Q to be an educational tool in a menagerie, Q got me out by way of a hasty civil wedding ceremony. After a few months of play-acting to keep the continuum from guessing it was a hoax we…kinda got to like each other. We weren't pretending anymore. It became real," she adds with a dreamy smile as she recalls their courtship.

"And we still…?"

"Yes, you and I were married not long after. Nothing could change the way I felt about you. We worked out a plan that suited all three of us."

Chakotay stares at her long and hard, "Why would you want to be married to two different men at the same time?"

Kathryn gives a flippant shrug, "Because sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't!" She breaks into a bright grin, one not returned. 

"There you go again, you sound just like him--and that's not meant as a compliment! How can you take everything so lightly?"

As this topic is her home territory, naturally Kathryn comes out swinging, "Well, if we didn't life would be _far_ too depressing! Think of the pressure we're under, guardians of the universe! We need to have some fun once in a while, its what keeps us sane! I'd forgotten, thank you for reminding me, but you were always like this, Chakotay," she accuses darkly. "At least, you started out this way. Once you got over the fact that Q was my husband, too, it was easier for us to be--"

"Civil?"

"A family. Maybe the memory of _this_ little visit will keep me from missing you too much!" Kathryn takes a minute to calm down, instantly regretting what she'd just said. "Let's not fight, I don't want to spoil your memory with another round of _this_."

Guilt creeps over Chakotay as well, "We've fought like this before?"

"Not a lot, just enough to be tiring, never on Earth. This was back when we were all getting used to each other. I remember now, I was so sick of the two of you fighting over me. It got better when Angelique was born."

"Your daughter?"

"Ours. Q may be her biological father, but I already told you that you were her daddy, too."

Chakotay pauses, calculatingly raising an eyebrow, "You gave her a Q name," he notices with half a smile.

"Well, I wasn't about to let any child of mine be named with a single letter, but I wanted her to keep that much, so we stuck it in the middle."

"Any other kids?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes. A son, Q2," she replies.

Chakotay laughs, not unkindly, "So, you'd let your son be named after a letter?"

Pausing to 'define the parameters ' of their relationship. "He's Q's from a…previous encounter. I won't dignify it by calling it a marriage. They mated and separated not long after. When Q2 was born I was named his godmother, but it didn't take long for the prefix to drop. I'm the only mother he's known, the only one who loved him, wanted him."

"So how did I slot into all this," Chakotay wants to know, envisioning himself surrounded on all sides by pan-dimensional omnipotent beings. Kathryn gives him a reassuring cuddle with a sly grin.

"Very nicely. Q and Junior spent most of their time in the continuum. I went along with them for a few practice sessions to ease me into it, but they scarcely ever intruded into our home life. I continued my work for Starfleet, even got promoted, and carried on business as usual. Angelique's sudden adulthood was immediately written off by Starfleet Medical as 'rapid maturation due to temporal accident', no inquiries were made and it never became common public knowledge that I was an undercover Q."

"One big happy family, in other words," Chakotay suggests, half kidding. "Sounds like we got off fairly well. How are you feeling?"

She cuddles him again, her nearness along with her casual attitude towards it further distracting her fellow prisoner, "I'm all right, as long as we're touching I should be fine. I miss him, though, all this is my fault in some way. If I hadn't been so distant then he wouldn't have thought our marriage needed saving. It was nice seeing you again."

"I have to tell you something," the past Janeway confesses, "I'm a little afraid right now: afraid of undoing the future. I've made it my life's mission not to get sucked into one of these temporal paradoxes."

"Humph. As you once told me, my dear, 'I'd change specialties if I were you'," Q implies. "It won't be your last. They are fun once you get used to them. But as far as undoing the future, I wouldn't worry about that. It must be nearly morning and you seem to be alive and well. Besides, my Kathy and I will erase your memories for you, no charge."

"Wait, back up. Erase our memories? Why?"

Q scoots out of her lap, nearly pulls her into his. He raises his eyebrows and leans in close, "Temporal Prime Directive." He says it in such a perfect imitation of her inflection that it makes Kathryn crack a smile yet again.

"Does this mean you've spent the last 500 years doing impressions of me?" Clearly his performance had not been entirely intentional.

"You do a fairly passable impression of me as well, it comes from spending time together. I once heard of an instance on Earth where two young ladies who lived together for a time developed an offshoot of the English language.

Kathryn shrugs indifferently, "Use of individual slang isn't uncommon."

"They used the word for a vegetable to mean anything from 'Could you repeat that' to 'I don't believe you'."

This degree of variation strikes his captive audience as decidedly uncommon, "So you and I start talking like each other."

"You even pick up some of my more _charming_ mannerisms. You've actually been mistaken for me in disguise." Q enjoys seeing the shocked expression on Kathryn's face as he informs her of that. "But all that lays on the horizon, my dear. Its better for you not to think about it until it happens. Its really too complicated for you to grasp."

"I don't want to die, not like this. As much as I'd love to deny you the opportunity to perfect your impression of me…I don't want to die."

Her morbid demeanor takes Q by surprise, he'd never seen her this upset before. Even as a human she'd always exuded an air of confidence that she was in control. It leaves him unsure of what to do. He supposes that from her perspective their conditions are unfavorable: trapped in a small cave with no current means of escape, throw in Q for good measure and a threat of destroying the timeline and you've got a pretty disagreeable situation. He can't exactly make any of it go away. "You're not going to die," he finally says, "You're the most hard to kill person in three quadrants. You've cheated death before and you've gotten out of worse situations than this. Just pull yourself together, it must be nearly morning." He pats her knee and stands up to pace their confined space. "Its lucky none of us is claustrophobic, that would have been inconvenient," he observes before sitting back down next to her, squeezing her hand. His last gesture makes Kathryn wonder if it was meant for her benefit or for his. "Just hang on. Remember that without your help I'm likely to get executed. This may surprise you but I'm not exactly popular," he adds with a confidential wink. "I wonder what time it is."

His question is answered by the sudden arrival of his son. Q2 turns immediately to Kathryn, "Mom, what happened to _you_?" He drawls in casual concern. "Hang on, you're not her, are you? Whatever, I'll take it from here, Mom…Aunt Kathy…whoever you are."

She stares up at him, the night's escapades telling on her plainly, "He's so tall," she whispers admiringly. Paying no heed to her apparent reverence, Q2 returns his father's powers with an offhand flick of his fingers. In a flash, Kathryn #1 is immediately healed and all trace feelings of exhaustion are removed. "I've given you the benefit of a full night's sleep," Q informs her, helping her to her feet. She stands without faltering in the least, just in time for the wall to vanish and her double to take a flying leap, ending with Q being tackled to the ground by his exultant wife. Q2 figures his parents need some privacy, he makes a hasty retreat back to the continuum. They lay, one on top of the other, staring into each other's eyes with such intensity that the current would register to a ship's sensors as a likely power source. They link their fingers, pressing their palms together with identical satisfied moans.

"I never want to go through that again," Kathryn #2 purrs as they reforge their connection. The humans look on, trying not to make any noise that would distract the reunited lovers. Chakotay looks at his Kathryn rather wistfully, pondering that someday, somehow they would end up together. She gives him a brief interrogative gesture, signaling "Are you all right?" He nods, flips it back to her, getting the ok sign back. At last, the two Q's stand and dust themselves off; they continue to hold hands as they turn back to the humans.

"Well, kids, its time to say nightly-night," Q announces.

"Wait!" Chakotay blurts out, stepping forward. "Goodbye, Kathryn. You don't have to pretend to be something you're not anymore. Just be happy, and try to behave yourself!" Kathryn-the-Q giggles at his last remark, but her expression quickly becomes somber. "Goodbye," she whispers, and clicks her fingers. Both humans sway on the spot, their memories of the night's events are wiped away. Their eyes go unfocussed and they look unnaturally calm. Q and his mate guide them gently back to their little house and try to position them comfortably. Q leans down between them. "Time to wake up!" Both Qs vanish a split-second before the dazed couple comes around.

Back home in the continuum…

Q stretches, shifting the gravitational pull of several nearby planets as he does so, "Well, Kathy, that was some vacation," he groans. Stretching reveals several inches of bare arm, which catches his mate's attention. Taking hold of it, she gently traces the long, cruel scratch marks that had not yet healed.

"Oh, Q…"she moans sympathetically, looking meaningfully into his eyes as she holds his hand against her cheek.

"Did…you?" he half-asks, feels her nod jerkily. She then forces a dry chuckle.

"I'm going to take some time off to recover from our vacation. How's that sound?"

"Mmhmm," he agrees, "Nearly undoing the multiverse as we know it takes a lot out of your average Q. How about we haunt _Voyager_?"

Provoked into her very Q grin, her eyes light up devilishly, "Let's do it."


End file.
